character profiles
Click on the names below to view their profiles. Links within the profiles will display related images from the anime (color) and manga (black and white).
Ranma Saotome- our pigtailed hero(ine)
Akane Tendo- engaged to Ranma
Tatewaki Kuno- upperclassman at Furinkan High School
Kodachi Kuno- student at at St. Bacchus School for girls
Shampoo- Chinese Amazon who pursues Ranma
Ukyou Kuonji- childhood friend of Ranma
Tsubasa Kurenai- Ukyou's old classmate
Konatsu- ninja who loves Ukyou
Ranma Saotome
While on a martial arts training mission in China with his father Genma, Ranma falls into a magic spring. The spring carries a curse -- whoever swims in it will take on
the body of a young girl when splashed with cold water. Needless to say, Ranma freaks out just
a little when he discovers his new physical attributes. Hot water transforms Ranma's body
back to its original form, only until the next cold water run in.
Ranma is a generally good natured person with a sense of humor and serious martial arts skills. (As the above pics show, Ranma kicks nearly equal amounts of butt in both forms.)
He tends to be sarcastic and teases his fiancee Akane quite a bit,
but is definitely a sympathetic character.
It is important to note here that Ranma always keeps the same personality, memories, soul, whatever, no matter which body he's in.
(The series Maze is different in this respect.) Despite his physical sex changes, Ranma always thinks of himself as a boy.
This causes some problems for Ranma. Obviously, having a female body half the time poses a bit of a threat to Ranma's masculinity.
Also, Ranma has a hard time fending off male suitors as a girl. (see Kuno).
Ranma learns to cope with his condition fairly quickly, keeping it a secret from his high school classmates
but being completely open and matter of fact about it at home. He spends about equal amounts of time in each body around the house.
Ranma's hosts, the Tendo family, all know about his curse. In fact, it is the reason why Mr. Tendo thinks Ranma would make a perfect fiancee for his daughter, Akane.
In the manga, Ranma's hair looks black in both forms. In the anime, female Ranma's hair is red.
click for more on Ranma's gender, sex and sexuality.
Akane Tendo
Akane is 16 years old (about Ranma's age). She is also skilled in martial arts, and takes great pleasure in
practicing. She has a reputation for being a tomboy because of her athleticism, and she often makes it known that she doesn't like boys.
Akane is usually a sweet and agreeable person, but her temper flares when she is forced to fight off persistant male suitors (see Kuno). Nothing irks Akane more
than a male trying to prove he's better or stronger than her. When Akane and Ranma first meet, Ranma is in girl form. They engage in friendly sparring, and Ranma effortlessly beats Akane.
Once Akane finds out Ranma is really a boy, she is furious. An antagonistic relationship begins between them, most of which is based on comic martial arts attacks and lots of almost-flirty teasing. Unfortunately, Akane's sisters and father decide that Akane should become engaged to Ranma, because she "hates boys, and he's half girl!"
Akane begins the series with long hair, but loses her tresses during a fight. This is a serious emotional blow to her, because she has always expressed her femininity through her long hair. But she gets over it, sticks with the short hair cut, and endures Ranma's constant teasing.
click for more on Akane's sexuality and her relationship with Ranma.
Tatewaki Kuno
Kuno works as a parody of machismo, chivalry and heterosexual male stereotypes.
The egomaniacal high school student speaks in frilly, ceremonious prose worthy of a Shakespearean character, and fancies himself a king amongst peons at Furinkan High.
Only Akane is worthy of his attentions and affections, and he yearns to "date with her." It is Kuno who seems to have inspired Akane's hatred of boys -- he has decreed that any boy
who wishes to date Akane must defeat her in combat. Akane is Kuno's sole romantic obsession, until Ranma arrives in town. Kuno sees (male) Ranma as his arch rival because of Ranma and Akane's engagement. But
when Kuno fights Ranma in girl form, he fall instantly in love with "her." Of course, Kuno can't seem to grasp the true nature of Ranma's dual identity, no matter how much explaining Ranma does. Loving a boy, even in a female body, would no doubt shatter Kuno's stoic, superman self image.
Kuno's unrequited love for Akane and his twisted love/hate triangle with "Saotome" and "the pigtailed girl" are central plot elements at the beginning of the series, but Kuno soon fades into the background to be replaced by other foes. He lingers on as a supporting comic relief character.
click for more on Ranma's reaction to Kuno's love for "the pigtailed girl".
Kodachi Kuno
Kodachi, a.k.a. The Black Rose, is a martial arts rythmic gymnastics champion. She challenges Akane to a battle, hoping
to win a date with (male) Ranma. When Akane is injured, Ranma takes her place in female form, to defend his
male honor. This reversal of affections (hate for Akane and female Ranma, love for male Ranma) is only fitting, since
Kodachi is Kuno's twin sister and opposite. Where Kuno adheres to a strict code of honor, Kodachi cheats outrageously.
Kodachi lies, cheats, and seduces through trickery. She works as a parody of the Jezebel
and Spider Woman stereotypes as well as heterosexual female desire and the ultra-feminine.
click for more on Ranma's reaction to a sexual encounter with Kodachi.
Shampoo
Shampoo is a Chinese Amazon who initially hates female Ranma and loves male Ranma (like many people, she assumes Ranma is two different people before she understands his curse).
Ranma defeated her in battle as a girl, and so Shampoo is bound by Amazon laws to hunt Ranma down and kill "her".
When Ranma defeats Shampoo again as a boy, Shampoo falls in love with him and is bound by Amazon laws to marry him.
Shampoo speaks very little Japanese (hence very little English in translated versions) and communicates with Ranma mostly
by attacking or adoringly gloming onto him. She visits him at school, crashing through the cafeteria wall to "serve husband lunch!"
Akane is insanely jealous of Shampoo, because of Shampoo's "cuteness" (femininity? Total devotion to male Ranma?) and her ability to cook.
If Kodachi represents feminine guile and desire, then it might be said that Shampoo is even more a personification (and satirization, exaggeration, blah blah blah. . .) of female heterosexual desire.
Ukyou Kuonji
Ukyou is a childhood friend of Ranma's. When they played together as little kids, Ranma always assumed Ukyou was a boy
because she dressed and looked boyish. Ukyou was supposed to be engaged to Ranma, but Ranma's father broke the engagement, travelled away with Ranma and abandoned Ukyou.
Ukyou's heart was broken. Ukyou went to an all boys high school, passing as a boy. She learned her father's trade, cooking
Okonomiyaki (sort of a Japanese pizza-ish food). Ukyou hunts down Ranma, seeking revenge for being left behind (and for being jilted).
While battling Ranma, her breasts are exposed, and Ranma realizes for the first time that his friend is a girl. He explains the misunderstanding,
Ukyou's anger fades, she sets up a restaurant in town, and she and Akane become almost-friendly rivals for Ranma's affections. Compared to the rest of
Ranma and Akane's suitors, Ukyou is much more of an ally than an enemy. Ukyou identifies as a girl, and is drawn in feminine attire most of the time after her arrival.
Tsubasa Kurenai
Tsubasa arrives on the scene soon after Ukyou. It seems Tsubasa is an old classmate of Ukyou's, and has always had a crush on Ukyou. Tsubasa has been following Ukyou, trying to win her heart.
Everyone assumes that Tsubasa is a heterosexual girl who has mistaken Ukyou for a boy. Hoping to get rid of Tsubasa, Ukyou lies and says "he" is already engaged to a girl -- female Ranma! Tsubasa is undaunted, calls Ranma "butt ugly" and
challenges Ranma to a cute contest. (This entails Ranma dressing up in a playboy bunny leotard. Read more here.) Eventually Ranma, Ukyou and company reveal to Tsubasa that Ukyou is a girl, so nothing could happen between them anyway.
So what? Says Tsubasa. She already knew Ukyou was a girl, and that's what attracted her in the first place. This throws everyone for a loop, and they start calling Tsubasa a "pervert" because of what they see as lesbian desire. Tsubasa eventually falls for Akane and female Ranma. Ranma tries to
help Tsubasa by dating her as a guy, but this turns Tsubasa off entirely and they end up fighting. During combat, Tsubasa's clothes get ripped, and- surprise! Tsubasa is actually biologically male. (Our clue was that Ukyou went to an all boys school. . .)
It's unclear whether Tsubasa identifies as a girl, a lesbian, or if s/he identifies as anything at all other than just Tsubasa. She doesn't object to being called "she," however. Tsubasa is a masterful disguise artist, often sneaking up on girls she likes while dressed as a fire hydrant, mailbox or tree.
Tsubasa is a relatively minor character, and is introduced mostly as a subplot after the major characters have been firmly established. Tsubasa appears in an episode entitled "Dharma Chameleon," for those interested.
Konatsu
I couldn't find much info on Konatsu, and I haven't encountered him in manga or anime yet. From what I gather on the web, he was raised by a group of female ninjas.
He passes as female, and is in love with Ukyou.